


Snow Ren

by ArceusTheCat



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: AND I AM REN RIGHT NOW, Also bad title but I had to write something, American AU, EXCITED FLAILING, Fluff, Holding Hands, IN THE MIDDLE OF OCTOBER, IT'S SNOWING HERE, M/M, Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-02 01:06:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16295378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArceusTheCat/pseuds/ArceusTheCat
Summary: A freakishly early snowstorm has Ren running to Takaya's house to share the moment with him.





	Snow Ren

Sunday mornings in mid-October are meant for resting and schoolwork. They’re there to make sure that my team doesn’t overwork itself. Especially Ren. I’m glad that I found him before he developed a serious injury from overwork so that he can have a future in baseball.

So it’s very surprising to me to hear someone pounding on the door at eight A.M.

I’d woken up an hour earlier so at least I was washed and dressed to greet the mysterious interloper. Probably some poor sod trying to convert me or else get me to vote for their candidate. I sigh and peek through the blinds to see who it is.

I’m stunned to see Ren in a puffy winter coat but even more so at the snow gathered on his faux fur-lined hood. The last time that the first significant snow came so early was a couple decades ago in the infamous “Halloween Blizzard” of 1991, before either of us were born.

It was today I learned how much Ren loved snow.

I opened the door for him and he grabbed both my hands with his, beginning to jump excitedly.

“Takaya! Snow! And it’s sticking!”

I don’t smile genuinely all that often but ever since I met the precious little pitcher named Ren Mihashi I can’t help but smile. There isn’t a hint of anxiety or reservation in his voice nor his eyes, a rare occurrence indeed. His mittens are already wet from snowmelt but I don’t mind.

“Come! Come!”

Now he’s tugging on me with the same determination he has to get the last out the team needs. A small chuckle escapes me as I have to carefully extract my hands from Ren’s.

“Let me get my coat first.”

Ren nods furiously. I’m glad that I’ve gotten used to the extreme day-to-day variation of weather in Minnesota and already have my winter coat and gloves out from the abyss known as storage. Who knows how long it’d take to find them if I hadn’t?

Properly dressed, I take the house key and lock the door before Ren begins pulling me off to the nearby park.

It’s a surreal sight to have snow on the still-green grass and weeds, not to mention the snow on changing leaves. Fall colors have yet to peak here and we already have a dusting of snow on them. It adds another layer of depth to the usual gradient from green to brown.

Most striking are Ren’s eyes. They shimmer like molten gold as they dart from tree to tree, taking in all that this unusual scene has to offer.

It’s also today when I find out that Ren is too precious for this world and I must do everything I can to protect him from its wickedness.

We walk leisurely through the park. Ren points empathetically at various plants with one hand but never lets go of my hand with the other. He’s speaking excitedly in one-word sentences like “Look!” “There!” and “Pretty!” I wish that I’d grabbed the simple point-and-shoot camera that my mum has because this seems like a once-in-a-lifetime scene.

I guess I’ll just have to burn this into my memory.

I don’t know how long we’ve been out sightseeing but if Ren’s slight shiver is any indication, it’s probably a while. As much as it pains me to drag Ren out of this wonderland, I don’t want him to get hypothermia or worse, frostbite.

“Let’s head back for hot chocolate.”

“Yeah! Hot chocolate!”

At least I can make it better with hot chocolate. Ren has quite the sweet tooth. Normally I wouldn’t want to give him something so nutritionally empty… but it’s the off-season and he needs to gain weight anyway.

Just as I thought he couldn’t get more adorable, he starts skipping back to my house. I say a silent thank you to Mother Nature for giving us this early snow and before long we’re back home.

Only when I look at Ren happily sipping his hot chocolate with marshmallows floating about do I realize how far I’ve fallen for this tiny pitcher. I don’t want to ruin the moment so I’ll tell him some other time.

Right now all I need is his shining smile.


End file.
